The Fifth Element
by AnotherChance
Summary: Lianne thinks only important people can be mages. Lianne is wrong
1. Default Chapter

Lianne was walking along the trail from the markets to her village. She lived just an hour's ride on horse back from Summersea and the Winding Circle Temples. Unfortunately, she didn't have a horse, so she had to make the walk to the smaller markets just 45 minutes away.

Sighing, she turned off the road and onto a rough bush track. It was a short cut, and her mother would kill her if she knew her daughter was taking it, but it shaved 15 minutes off of her traveling. The only problem was the chance of running into the village's local gang, the Blood Bleaters. They thought they were tough, but Lianne knew better. She'd been to Summersea once, 2 years ago, and gotten lost. She'd run into the top dog gang there, and was lucky the Provost's Harrier mages came along, or else she would've ended up face down in an alley.

The Blood Bleaters would stand no chance against that gang. They carried knives and everything! Preoccupied with her thoughts, she didn't notice the veritable roadblock that barred her path. There, standing in their red breeches and navy blue shirts, were half of the Blood Bleaters. Turning around hurriedly, she found the other half. 'Well, mother won't have to kill me now'. She thought. 'These guys are going to do it for her. Dropping the bread she'd bought from the market, she looked around for an escape route. 'Dammit!' She thought. They must've been following her from when she turned onto the path. There was only one escape. Down.

However, down was about a fifty-meter drop, with sharp rocks at the bottom, and thorny vines on the way there. Backing up slowly, she made her way towards the edge. A Bleater cut her off. The leader, a large boy named Cory, said in a mocking tone of voice, "Now, why would you head that way, you'd ruin our fun!" Snickering, he picked up a large stick, and snapped it over a rock, watching her quiver in fear. He picked up a thicker, stronger stick, and advanced menacingly. "Here, I'll let you join in with the fun."

Fourteen year old Sandry looked up at Niko. Why had he called this midday ride? He insisted that it was to get the children out of Discipline, but she could tell there was something that bothered him. You didn't need to be a truthsayer to see that! Sighing, she urged her horse into a trot, and moved up beside him. "Niko, why'd you make us come along on a ride? Really?"

"I didn't make you, Tris did. I was going to go by myself." He grumbled. "She just wouldn't let me."

This, however, didn't answer her question. It only aroused more. "Why did you want to go alone? Why to a small village?"

Niko glared at her until she looked away. Obviously, he didn't want to answer her questions. Letting her horse drop back, she spoke in her friend's minds, 'Do you guys know what's going on?'

'Nope, do you?' Tris responded.

'If you don't Coppercurls, then what chance do we have? He's your teacher.' Briar responded.

'Hey, he won't tell me anything either.' Tris retorted. 'Now leave me alone, I'm reading.'

'You're always reading.' He replied. He loved annoying her.

Daja had remained quiet all through this, but she spoke now. 'Hey, guys. What's Niko looking for?'****

Sandry stared at her mentor. What was he looking for? The question rattled around in her brain, even while she looked around her surroundings. She couldn't find anything out of place. Not one thing. The rock face was similar to every other rock face she'd seen, the path was rough, but those features were hardly unusual. There were little sprouts of grass here and there, and the small cliff they rode on was wide enough for them to ride next to each other, if need be.

Sandry would have asked her teacher, Lark, what was wrong with Niko, were she there. Lark, Rosethorn and Frostpine had all stayed at Winding Circle, allowing Niko his ride alone. The four children had only come as a last minute thing. About to ride ahead, to ask Niko what he saw, she stopped. She heard voices from just around the corner, but she couldn't make them out.

'Tris! Tris, can you hear those voices? One of them sounds scared; can you hear what they're saying?' Sandry asked.

'Fine! I'll just put this book down for the rest of the trip, shall I? Here, eavesdrop all you want.' Sandry felt Tris pluck wind from the air, and start a slight breeze from around the corner.

Listening carefully, she made out what they were saying, just barely. Obviously, Tris was upset she wasn't able to finish her book.

"Here, I'll let you join in on the fun." A tough sounding boy said.

"Please," a girl said in a quivering voice, "Just let me pass."****

"No," The boy said sharply. "You have to learn your lesson. You don't pass through Blood Bleater territory without paying the price."

Eye's wide, Tris forgot her irritation and rode up to Niko, touching his arm. Before he could object, she replayed what she'd heard in his head, and then they both heard a frightened whimper.

"Where's this coming from?" Niko urged.

"Around the corner and up a bit," Briar answered for her.

Without a word, Niko urged his horse into a gallop, and the children followed. As they approached the group, 5 of the members turned around to deal with them.

A skinny one, with a ragged scar running along his face from left ear to the left side of his nose, said, "You don't want to be here right now. This is none of your business. Leave while you still can."

Before Niko could respond, Briar had dismounted, and walked right up to the boy and sneered, "What kind of a gang is this? It takes all of you to harass a single girl?" Not waiting for an answer, he walked straight past him into the middle of the group. His instincts screamed against such an act, surrounding himself with enemies, but he wasn't an ordinary street rat anymore. He was a plant mage, and he and his friends had gained fame all around Emelan.

Before he knew it, the girls and Niko had joined him. Sandry said in as pompous a voice as she could manage, "I suggest you leave. There's no way you stand a chance against us."

The leader of the group laughed. "Yeah, right. Like five of you and that puny girl there could stand a chance against all 20 of us!" The rest of the gang joined him in laughter.

Daja moved to help the young girl. "It'll be alright now. Don't worry." The girl still trembled, but she seemed calmer.

"Look, I aint here to play games," the gang leader said. "Boys, get 'em."

And that was when the four young mages and their teacher made their move. Daja grabbed their jewellery and other metallic possessions, Sandry wrapped them in their clothes and Briar in vines from the side of the cliff. Tris was about to make it hail on them, but a warning glance from Niko stopped her. Instead she made it rain. Eyes wide, mouth agape, the young girl backed away, right to the edge of the cliff.

Thinking quickly, Briar made a large wall from the thorny vines, to stop her from falling, but he couldn't retract the thorns in time. Her yelp made him wince. At least she didn't fall off the cliff. Ignoring the bound gang members, Sandry and Daja moved over to the girl and knelt next to her. When she had backed into the thorns, she had collapsed in defeat, not wanting to even bother any more. She just sat there, weeping, to await whatever fate served her.

"Shh, its okay, we won't hurt you." Sandry comforted.

"W- Who are you people?" The girl asked.

"My name's Sandrilene fa Toren, and this is Daja Kusibo." Sandry said gently.

Eyes, widening by the second, the girl realized who their companions were, and she sat up straighter. She'd just been saved by the most famous mages in Summersea. But she couldn't for the life of her figure out who the older man was. She asked Daja, and she replied, "That's Niklaren Goldeye. He's our teacher."

Trembling with excitement, she thought, 'my brother's never going to believe who I met today!'


	2. chapter 2

As she stood, Lianne's eyes darted from her attendees, their friends, their teacher and finally coming to rest on their captives. Bound and gagged by their own garments and jewellery, huge thorns threatened them if they so much as moved an inch. They were staying very still.

Still trembling, she tried to take in the last few minutes' events. Niklaren Goldeye walked over to her, and asked, "Why were they threatening you? What did you do to cross them?"

Unable to hold his sharp eyes, she glanced down and around her for support. The ground had never seemed so interesting. Feeling the hard rock under her shoes, she kicked off her boots, and let the cool mortar and minerals calm her mind. Looking up, she found five sets of startled eyes on her. "What?" She asked, irritated. Hadn't they ever seen someone take off their shoes before?

As her irritation grew, the red head- Trisana Chandler, the weather witch- looked increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, with a cry, she looked away, took off her specs and rubbed her eyes fiercely.

As suddenly as it had come, her irritation disappeared. "Are you alright?" She asked, concerned.

"Yeah, you were just shining so _bright_!" Tris said, rubbing the residue silver from her eyes. She hated when that happened.

"What do you mean 'shining so bright'? What happened to you?" Lianne asked. Weird things happened around these four.

Sandry gaped at her. When she had found her voice again, she used it. "You didn't feel it?"

"Feel what?" Lianne was getting even more confused, if that were even possible.

"The earth tremor! You can't tell me that you didn't feel that!" Briar exclaimed.

"Earth tremor? What are you people talking about?" She asked dubiously. She was beginning to think these mages were a little on the insane side.

Before anyone could add anything else, Niko stepped in. "I think she caused it." He said quietly, turning to her. "As a matter a fact, I'm certain. Did you know you're a mage?"

"M-m-m-a," The words stuck in her throat. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, wondering if this was all some weird dream, and if she'd wake up soon, she tried again. "A mage? I can't be a mage."

Briar looked to Sandry, Tris and Daja. Typical denial, his eyes said. They all nodded in agreement. It was Sandry who spoke up. "Why can't you be a mage?" That question was sure to put a dent in her denial.

Looking as confused as she had before, she tried to think of an answer, and finally whispered, "Because I'm not important enough."

Glancing sharply at Niko, she asked another question. "And what makes an important mage?"

Answering with more confidence, but unable to meet her eyes, Lianne said, "Well, you're a noble, you were a merchant," She said pointing to Sandry and Tris respectively. Turning to Daja and Briar, she continued. "You're a trader-" She was cut off by Daja.

"Was." She said quietly. "I am no longer a true trader."

Looking at her for another second, she finished, "And you were an expert thief. I'm just an average girl, living in an average village." She looked down in shame.

Deciding that such prestigious people didn't want to spend time with a nobody like her, she started walking away, head bowed, and picked up the basket she had used to carry the food she got from the market home. The food itself was spoiled, but the basket could be reused. Sighing, she started walking along the path, towards her home. Being reminded of her mediocrity was something she could leave to her neighbors.

Tossing a baffled look at Niko as she walked after the girl, Sandry saw him moving to intercept her. "Let her go, but throw a line out. She needs time to get over the shock."

"But-" A hand cut her off.

"No buts. This is why I wanted to come for this ride today, and why I wanted to come for this ride alone. I saw this series of events a few days ago, and decided I must stop it. I knew the mere mention of your names frightens many, and I didn't want to take the chance." Rounding on Tris, he added, "But somebody insisted on coming along."

"Well so-rry, but if you'd just told me..." She trailed off at the look in his eyes. She knew when to stop. Most of the time.

Niko sighed, and scrubbed his face with his hands. Turning to Sandry, he asked, "Have you got a line on her?"

Nodding in confirmation, she turned to Briar. "Do you have anything in your mage's kit for those cuts she got? From the way she spoke about herself, her family probably isn't very wealthy, and they may not have the proper healing creams. Maybe yarrow root and comfrey cream?"

Daja gently shoved Briar. "Yeah, it's the least you can do, considering you're the one who caused most of the injuries."

Briar scowled fiercely, looking around for support, finding only the plants that bound the gang members. He was sorry that he wasn't able to retract the thorns in time, but at least she hadn't plummeted to her doom. Looking up at them, he noticed that they were only playing with him. Grinning broadly, Daja shoved him and said, "Come on, thief boy, we'll follow her and you can offer your apologies in person."

Grumbling about never being able to understand girls, he set off to retrieve his horse.

Treading carefully so as to not be heard, Briar followed the young girl who he and his foster sisters had saved, with some help from Niko, along the path that led to a lone house on a hill. 'For someone who doesn't have much money, they sure live in a nice house,' Briar thought. It had marble pillars with runes for protection and good health, among others, carved into a swirling pattern. It would have cost a fortune. Also, it was trimmed with brass, his sense of Daja told him.

Walking quietly, he set off around the back. There was a trellis with ivy vines hanging from a second floor window, and he raised a hand in greeting. Unfortunately, this particular plant wasn't too well cared for, and it grabbed him, begging for salvation through its binding grip. Sending waves of reassurance to the neglected plant, he wondered if the family even knew how to look after ivy. It was a very demanding plant.

About a meter to the front door, the sounds of Briar's quiet footfalls were overcome with the loud barking of a large dog. Briar gulped. This dog was even bigger than Little Bear, who had, by now, gotten quite big. Backing up, Briar cursed when he heard the voice.

"Roger, quiet down." The girl. The one who thought you had to be 'important' to be a mage. How wrong she was. The voice came again. "Roger! What's wrong? If it's just another silly raccoon again..."

An older, stronger voice interrupted. "No Lianne, you stay here, rest. I'll go see what's wrong with that mutt."

Lianne's voice floated to his ears again. "Yes father."

Wondering if he had time to hide in the large tree some twenty meters away, he noticed the door opening. Taking a breath, he stepped forward. There was no time to run, so he'd have to come out and do the mage like thing. He'd have to confront his fears.

"Sir, I'm-" He started, but was cut off by the metal pole the large, gruff man swung at him. Dodging to the left, he called for the ivy plant to grab the pole. He would need this man unarmed to speak to him.

Looking up in outrage, the man jumped for the pole. In any other situation, it might have been comical; seeing a tall man repeatedly jumping for a weapon that a plant had taken off him. But Briar held his laughter, he couldn't afford to upset the tall man.

Trying again, he said louder, forcing more authority into his voice. "Sir, I am Briar Moss, a student of plant magic under Dedicate Rosethorn. I believe we need to talk."

Wide eyed, the man stopped jumping. "Briar Moss? _The_ Briar Moss?"

Face turning bright red, he shifted from foot to foot. 'The others should be arriving any minute now,' he thought. He just hoped they'd come before he was embarrassed to death.

"Uh..." Was all he could say before the trotting of horseshoes interrupted him. Sighing in relief, he turned to his friends. "Sandry, Tris, Daja, Niko, this is... uh..."

"Callum. It's an honor to meet with such prestigious mages."

Muttering, Briar said, "Yeah, such an honor you tried to kill me."

Looking abashed, the man looked at the clear blue sky, the grassy green ground, the marble pillars, anywhere but the faces of the mages before him. "Yeah, well about that... I thought you were another gang member, come to finish off what they'd started with my daughter. You should see her, she's covered in all sorts of cuts and bruises."

A pang of guilt forced Briar to speak up, "Yeah, they were my fault. I hadn't had time to retract the thorns from a plant when I had them grow to stop her from backing off a cliff. That's part of the reason we're here. I have some comfrey cream and yarrow root you can use."

All through his speech, Briar had been watching the old man- Callum- 's face. He'd ranged from being angry, to grateful in a moment, with a whole rainbow of emotions in between. Now he spoke. "Thank you. The root and cream will come in handy. Why don't you come inside? We have some tea on the boil, if you'd like some."

Nodding his appreciation, Niko took the lead. "Thanks. We appreciate it." As he walked inside, the others moved to follow him.


	3. chapter 3

Watching the young plant mage as he applied the salve to her daughter's various small cuts, Margaret looked stunned. "So my daughter, she has- she has magic?" The last word came in a whisper. "I thought you had to be, well… important, to become a mage."

An icy fist closed around Tris' heart as she fought to control her anger at the woman. No wonder Lianne didn't think she was worthy, what with this woman manipulating her views on life. It was as bad as her family had done to her, forever fawning over Cousin Aymery while making her do all the work. Forcing a calm note into her voice, she replied, "Your daughter is as important as anyone in this room, ma'am."

A young boy, no older that 7, looked incredulous. "She's not nearly as important as you lot, methinks. Youse is mages. She's the daughter of commoners. And I'm their son. None of us is as important as youse, surely!"

Tris narrowed her eyes, and she felt the support of her foster siblings as she replied, "I once thought I was unimportant, but that wasn't true. Neither is what you just said." Having found out that his father herded sheep and sheared them while his mother knitted the wool into useable garments for the village people, she added, "Why, without your mother and father, your entire village would be without clothing, and you two," she gestured to Lianne, "Are important to them. Someday, you'll be important to many people, it's up to you what to become, but everyone has the chance to do great things, important things." She felt the approving eyes of Niko on her, and smiled inwardly. She was pleased with herself.

"But still… out daughter…" Callum mumbled, only to be silenced by a thunderous look from Tris.

Niko took this opportunity to interrupt. "I'm afraid the law is clear on this matter, however, Misses and Mister Chambers. Your daughter must train with a licensed mage until it is deemed that she is in control of her abilities. This discussion is pointless. The only problem is, there is only one mage in this realm with any magic like Lianne's: Tris."

All eyes fell on her. Sighing, she grumbled, "_Another_ student Niko? I'm barely rid of Keth, and…" Trailing off, she sighed. "Fine. Where would we do it?"

"I think Winding Circle would be best, but it is up to you and Lianne's parents." Niko said slowly.

Staring expectantly at the Chambers parents, they in turn looked to Lianne, who had turned a considerable shade of red from all the attention. "It's your choice sweetheart." Callum coaxed.

"I-" Her voice failed her, she tried again. "I think Winding Circle would be best for everyone." She still hadn't looked up.

Niko smiled. "Excellent. We'll be here this time, seven days from now. Is that enough time to pack?"

A small nod answered hem.

"Now then, we shall be off. We don't wish to intrude upon your hospitality any longer." They all stood to leave, and Margaret held out the tubs of comfrey cream and yarrow root to Briar.

Briar shook his head, "I have tons of it at home, so don't worry about it."

Shocked and wide eyed, she hurried to thank him. He grimaced and murmured, "Your hospitality was thanks enough." Remembering back to the incident outside when Lianne's father first saw him, his frown deepened and he walked out the door.

Mounting their horses, they waved good bye to the bewildered family and rode off, towards Summersea and Winding Circle.

Lianne arrived by horseback, amazed at the giant gates that heralded the entrance to the Winding Circle Temples. Eyes wide, she noticed all of the people in different colored robes. Tris ignored her wide eyed stares, still a little annoyed that she had to teach another student. Making their way to a small cottage a little way off of the road, Tris dismounted and tied her horse to the gate.

Lianne followed suit, brushing herself off as she stretched. Tris gestured up the path, and Lianne followed her to the door. Tris opened the door and led her inside, where a kindly looking woman stood from her needle work at the table and greeted them warmly. "Hello dear, my name is Lark. You must be Lianne. Welcome to Discipline."

The jittery girl started. No one had told her the name of the place she'd be staying. She squeaked. "D-Discipline?"

Tris chuckled. "It's not a punishment. It's just a place for students who might need a little extra push or a prod in the right direction. Don't worry."

Lianne sighed in relief and returned the smile that the dedicate gave her. Another woman, about the same age as Lark, walked into the room, a scowl on her face. The young man, Briar, followed her, juggling some jars of herbs. Stopping, the angry looking woman looked at Lianne as Briar grinned. "Hey, how are you?" He asked.

Sparing a nervous glance at the angry dedicate, she answered nervously, "F-fine… thank you…"

Rosethorn's eyes narrowed as Briar introduced her. "Stay away from the gardens. If I catch you in there I'll string you up by your toes over the well."

Lianne squeaked and backed up. Rosethorn smirked, suitable satisfied that the young girl was going to stay out of her garden as Lark gently reproached. "Rosie…"

Tris scowled. "Please don't scare my student. She's jittery enough as it is."

Rosethorn grinned. "It wasn't so long ago that you four were scared of me. Now that you aren't… I have to scare someone." She showed some teeth and Lianne squeaked again, pressing herself further against the wall.

Tris' scowl deepened and she pulled Lianne towards her room. "This is where you're staying. Don't worry about Rosethorn, her bark is worse than her bite. She gives that threat to everyone who walks through the door. Now. Get settled, this is Sandry's old room, but she's staying in Summersea these days, to help the Duke. I'll be staying in the attic. I'll be back in an hour to start your lessons. I'll be teaching you meditation today, so make sure there's some clear room. Get to it."

The red head walked out the door, leaving Lianne staring after her, in awe of all that had happened so far that day.

Tris knocked on the door, and without waiting for a reply, turned the handle and walked in, juggling several books in the process. Lianne was just laying a colorful blanket at the end of the bed when she noticed the weather witch's entry. Giving a start, she rushed forward to help her with the books which threatened to spill out onto the floor. She put them down on the desk, turning as Tris started talking. "They're for you. I've memorized everything in them long ago, so I don't need them anymore."

Lianne looked down, ashamed. "I- I can't read. They don't teach a herder's daughter… like I said, we aint important enough."

Tris growled. "Stop it. Just stop it. If I hear that out of your mouth one more time, I'll tell Rosethorn that you trod all over her garden and let her string you up to dry. As for the not being able to read thing…" She trailed off, thoughtful. "I guess I'll have to teach your letters and numbers too. I taught Briar, it can't be too hard. As for right now…" She trailed off, reaching into her pocket for a stick of chalk. "We'll start our meditations, and later I'll start teaching you your letters."

Lianne nodded as Tris pushed her bed towards the window and drew a large circle on the ground. Settling inside, Tris gestured for Lianne to take a seat, and led her in her first meditation.

A few months had passed, and Lianne had made progress in leaps and bounds. She'd been to visit her family once a fortnight, with Tris, and they were amazed at how much she had changed. She was more confident, reading fluently, and held herself with self pride, as opposed to the slouch she used to stand with before beginning her lessons.

All was not well in Summersea, however. Tremors had started affecting Winding Circle Temples and the surrounding areas. Rumors had spread that it was Lianne who was causing them. Tris would have none of it, even if her friends were starting to believe the rumors.

Lianne was ashamed and confused. Ashamed because Tris' determination to defend Lianne's reputation had caused a rift between the friends, and confused because she didn't feel any stirrings in her magic. She thought that perhaps she _was_ causing the tremors, but without knowing it.

Scared of her power, Lianne started shirking her meditations. If she didn't hone her magic, then perhaps the tremors would stop. Tris had stopped warding her when she considered that the younger girl had control over her magic. That had been at the end of the first month.

Now Tris cornered her in Discipline. They were alone, Dedicates Lark and Rosethorn having gone to the markets in Summersea with Daja and Briar earlier that morning. Lianne sat on her bed in her ground floor room, watching apprehensively as Tris paced in front of her, a slight frown on her face.

Opening her mouth, she shut it quick as Tris glared at her. Finally the red head spoke, a little too sweetly. "Lianne, do you understand how important your meditations are?" Lianne nodded. "You understand that I can see magic, and I can tell when you're slacking off?"

Lianne paled considerably. She hadn't thought that the red head could tell. It had never occurred to her. Tears sprung to her eyes. Tris sighed and sat next to her on the bed, an arm around her shoulders. They sat like that for a while, Lianne sobbing quietly into Tris' shoulder, while Tris looked uncomfortable at the position she was in. Finally, the red head asked quietly, "Why were you shirking your meditations?"

Lianne sobbed. "I- I thought that if the tremors _were_ my fault then maybe… if I can't stop it… then maybe if I didn't meditate anymore…"

Tris sighed. "Stopping your meditations isn't going to help any. I know it's not your fault these tremors are happening. Don't listen to anyone else. No one else's opinion here should matter to you." Lianne was nodding. Tris stood and offered her hand to the young girl, leading her to the kitchen. As she reached for two tea cups on the top shelf, a large tremor hit, knocking them both off balance. The tea cups that Tris was reaching for slid off of the shelf, and knocked the red head on the head, leaving a bloody gash, and knocking the mage out cold.

Lianne cried out, stumbling to the unconscious older girl. Grabbing her by the arm, she shook her, trying to wake her, and dragged her under the kitchen table. Watching as dust fell from the roof, she was terrified to notice a section of the roof just outside the door collapse, falling against the door, blocking her exit.

Lianne hurried to rip a section of cloth from the bottom of her breeches, and pressed it against the wound on Tris' head, which was bleeding hurriedly. She shook her again, but only got a soft groan in response. Ripping some more cloth from her breeches, she tied the patch of cloth to the mage's head, and sat back, cradling her knees to her chest, her eyes wide and tear filled. _I'm going to die… why ever did I agree to learn magic? I'm going to die here, and no one will find us in time, and Tris will die to and… and…_ Lianne continued thinking like that for what seemed like hours, but was probably just a few minutes.

The trembling still hadn't ceased. Rather, they had grown more violent. Lianne closed her eyes tightly, and willed the tremors to stop. She opened her eyes, shocked, as they slowly died down. They weren't gone completely, but they were a lot gentler than they had been before.

Lianne checked on Tris, who still hadn't awoken. The gash on her head had bled through the makeshift bandage, so Lianne replaced it with another patch from her breeches. Tris stirred briefly under her ministrations, her pale skin in sharp contrast to her flame red hair as her eyes screwed up in pain. Lianne looked hopeful that the mage would wake up, but her hope was shattered when she settled back down, face expressionless once more as she slipped deeper into unconsciousness.

Lianne inhaled deeply, and ended up coughing at all of the dust in the air. The tremors had started to increase once again, and Lianne closed her eyes, covering her face with part of her shirt and breathing deeply, seeking out with her magic, consciously trying to stop the tremors in their tracks. What she felt amazed her. A stamp of magic, the tell tale sign of a mage feeding power into a natural occurrence. She followed the tremor back to its origin, quite a distance away, and reached out once more. The mage noticed her presence as pushed her, applying pressure to her magic.

Lianne cried out in pain as her magical sense was attacked. Darkness met her as it grew too powerful, leaving two mages unconscious under the table of a half collapsed building.


	4. Chapter 4

Lianne awoke with a groan. Her hand went straight to her head, which throbbed painfully. She forced her way into a sitting position, letting the cool stone wall clear her head as she leaned against it. Looking around, she realized she was in the infirmary. She noticed there were several circles surrounding her bed, with several different runes drawn in chalk surrounding the circles. Frowning, Lianne tried to reach out with her magic, to sense what the circle meant, but realized that she couldn't use her magic, or even feel it.

Her eyes widened in shock, and she looked around once more, noticing Tris, lying pale as a ghost against the sheets, in a bed next to her. There were no circles surrounding her bed. She looked to the door as she noticed it opening, seeing the Head Dedicate Moonstream walking towards her bed, and through the binding circles.

The dedicate smiled warmly. "I'm glad to see you are awake." Laying a hand on her forehead, she checked on her using magic, prompting Lianne to ask how it was she could use her magic within the circles. Moonstream answered softly, "The circles are tuned to you, my dear. My magic is not affected." The dedicate looked uncertain. "We… were uncertain what is causing the tremors, but your magic was sensed throughout the last set. We had to be certain that you wouldn't cause anymore."

Tris chose this moment to stir. Lianne moved to stand, to make sure her teacher was alright, when Moonstream pushed her back onto her bed gently. She moved quietly to the red head's bed as the young mage cried out softly. Lianne watched helplessly as her teacher tossed and turned, and asked quietly, "How long have we been unconscious?"

Moonstream answered without turning back to her, "We spent the rest of the day after the tremor trying to dig you both out. It was difficult; we had to make sure that the rest of the building wouldn't collapse upon you. Since then, it has been four days. Tris has still not woken. We were getting worried."

She finished talking just as Tris awoke, groaning in pain. Moonstream laid a hand on her head, soothing the pain in her head. Tris sighed and sunk into her pillow. The pain in her head was gone. That was, until she glanced to Lianne's bed and was almost blinded by the complexities of the spells.

"What in blazes is going on here? Why is she bound?" Tris cried out angrily, squeezing her eyes shut tightly.

Moonstream explained quietly. "The last of the tremors had her magic print all over them, and we needed to make sure that she wouldn't accidentally-"

Tris exploded. She was more disrespectful to Moonstream than she had ever been when she replied, "Lianne had _nothing_ to do with those tremors. I was with her when they started, and it wasn't her magic that started them. If her magic was on the last set it was because she tried to _stop them!_" Tris calmed down, and spoke softly now. "There was a magic involved, yes, but it wasn't Lianne's. It was someone's that I haven't sensed before. Now would you kindly take down those circles so I can make sure my student is alright without blinding myself?"

Moonstream considered carefully, before retreating to get Niko and Lark to take down the circles. In the time before then, Lianne spoke up. "I- I thought I felt another magic too, Tris. It pushed, and it hurt and-" Tris cut her off with a hand, still not able to look at her in her current condition.

"Don't worry about it now, Lianne. Unless you managed to get a location, it's not going to help much. Niko will be able to get a location if I tell him what to look for, and then we can find whoever is responsible for the tremors and get them stopped. Now lie back and get some rest, you must be tired."

Lianne complied, waiting for Lark and Niko to arrive to take down the circles. When they had, she was relieved to feel her magic once again, and a little scared to find how lost she felt without it. Smiling back at the gentle dedicate, she thanked Lark for taking down the circles.

Relaying their information to the Seer and stitch witch, Lianne and Tris settled down to get some rest while Niko set up complicated spells, trying to find the source of the tremors now that they knew they were magically enhanced and that Lianne wasn't to blame.

Three days had passed, and they were still bedridden. Lianne, because the violation of her magic had left her especially weak, and Tris because she had received a bad concussion which left her dizzy every time she sat up. Lark, Rosethorn, and Tris' foster siblings had visited frequently. This was the first time that Niko had.

He sat in a chair between the two beds, holding one of Tris' hands in his own as he relayed his news.

"The magic is coming from Lightsbridge. The tremors too. They're building up strength slowly, though, so they are only able to be detected at about the time they enter Summersea." He steeled himself for Tris' reaction, and wasn't disappointed.

"What?!" She almost screeched. He winced as he waited for the rest of it. "You mean those _pavao_ sucking idiots didn't learn their lesson the first time they tried to harness the power of earthquakes?"

He nodded his head, and turned to Lianne. He hesitated. "We owe you an apology. I am sorry I doubted you." She had received such apologies from the others already, and was getting used to them by now.

She grinned, "Don't worry about it, Niko. Have you sent a message to Lightsbridge yet, to tell them to stop their experiments?"

He nodded. "It should get there within week. How are you holding up? I understand when the mage attacked you, it left you rather weakened."

She nodded, and grinned. "I'm doing better now. _I _think I'm ready to get up and move around, but Moonstream thinks I'm still much too weak and delicate."

He returned her smile, and gave her shoulder a brief pat as he stood. "Well, I must say I'm much too tired to sit around much longer. All that scrying has me beat. I'm going to get some shut eye, and I'll see you two in the morning."

Lianne awoke to the walls shaking. She stood quickly, grabbing the bed as both the room shook and her head swam with dizziness, she waited until she was steady enough to keep moving, and helped Tris stand. Tris swayed, but grim determination kept her on her feet. They made their way to the doorway, and stood there, waiting for the tremor to stop.

When it did, Moonstream rushed to them, and helped them outside. Tris sat down on the ground, sweating profusely from the effort of walking such a distance. Niko ran to them, and Lianne took the opportunity to stretch her legs, unused for so long.

Panting, the seer explained. "There's a big one coming, big enough to destroy Winding Circle. That one was just the warning tremor. Our message hasn't reached them yet."

Lianne's eyes widened. "W-What are we going to do?"

Niko turned to her, thoughtful. "We need to stop it. Lianne, _you_ need to stop it."

She backed up, shaking her head. "I-I don't have the strength. I can't stop it…"

Tris spoke up. "I'll help you. I have a bit of magic with the earth. We _can_ do it."

The girl was still shaking her head. "But- How… You always taught me it was folly to mess with the natural order of things."

The red head nodded. "You know what they say though- desperate times call for desperate measures."

"But how will we do it?" Lianne asked, still not convinced.

Before anyone could respond, the foreseen earthquake hit. It started off as a low rumbling, before entire buildings started shaking, windows cracking. Lianne reacted without thinking, sending her magic out, trying to calm the wave of earth that moved angrily below them.

When that failed she let herself go, deep into her magic, letting it guide her in stopping the life threatening earthquake. She absorbed the power, the ground below her sinking several feet as the power coursed through it, turning it to mud. So strong was the power coursing towards her, through her, that the other mages were knocked back. Tris tried to get to her, but even she was unable to control the earth moving power in her weakened condition.

Lianne was unaccustomed to the power that was coursing through her. It burnt like fire, coursing through her body as she screamed at the pain. Barely conscious, she sent it out to sea, unaware that she knocked down part of the wall that protected Winding Circle from strong winds and enemy attacks.

Unseeing, she sent the tremors and the magics deep within the soil below the water, until the pain from the power surging through her took over, and she sank into unconsciousness.

Her limbs felt like over cooked noodles. Her head pounded, and she cried out as she opened her eyes to what felt like blinding light. There were two figures at her side immediately, and one of them soothed her pain with cool magic.

Sighing, Lianne opened her eyes once more, noticing the light was only the dim sunlight that managed to permeate the room. She smiled her thanks up at Moonstream, who had her hand on her shoulder. Looking to Tris, she opened her mouth to speak, only to cough instead as her throat scratched at being unused for so long. After she had been hauled into a sitting position and swallowed what seemed like a gallon of water, she tried once again.

"How long have I been out for?"

Tris answered. "Two weeks. We were so worried about you. When you pulled the power of the earthquake into you…" She left the sentence unfinished.

Lianne nodded. "Did it work? Is Winding Circle alright?" Moonstream smiled.

"Yes, my dear, it did work. Winding Circle is still standing. The mage that caused it is dead, he couldn't control the magics he unleashed and poured his entire strength into it." The Dedicate hesitated.

Tris took up where the Dedicate left off. "When you released the energy into the ocean… it caused an underground earthquake. The earthquake caused a large wave to form… we got word of a village that was destroyed by the wave yesterday." She watched her student closely, gauging her reaction.

Lianne was shaken to her core. Finally she shook her head and leaned over the side of the bed, dry heaving and expelling what little she had in her stomach in the first place. Tris rubbed her back as Moonstream left the room, giving them some privacy.

Lianne sobbed quietly, hugging her pillow as she cried herself to sleep. Tris watched on, sorrowful, knowing the guilt that was associated with killing people. Sighing, she left the room, leaving Lianne to rest in fitful sleep.

Lianne awoke the next day. It took a few moments to remember the events of the previous day, but when she did she felt like vomiting once again. The only problem was, she didn't have anything in her stomach to expel.

Her problem looked to be solved when Tris walked into the room a few minutes later, carrying a tray of food. Lianne picked at it, her appetite non existent, never meeting her teacher's eyes. Tris spoke quietly. "Your family is on the way. They'll be here in a few hours, Briar's gone to get them."

Lianne didn't look up, speaking so quietly Tris had to strain to hear them. "I don't want to see them."

Tris placed a hand under her chin, forcing her eyes up to meet her own grey ones. "It wasn't your fault." Her voice was firm.

Lianne torn her gaze away forcefully. "Yes. It was. _I'm_ the one that sent the energy there. _I'm_ the one that caused the wave. It's _my_ fault that people died."

Tris grabbed her arm and gave her a good shake. "Yes. It is your fault." Lianne looked up sharply, shocked at her teacher. "It's your fault that people _lived_! It's _your_ fault that Winding Circle still stands, and that none of us are dead now. You did the only thing you could think of to save us. It is not, however, your fault that people died. It's that idiot mage's fault, the one that tried to control the power of the earth. He's dead now." Looking haphazardly at her student, Tris continued. "Let me tell you about the time that pirates attacked Winding Circle…"

The End.

Once again, I have finished one of the many stories that I started and never actually finished. Wow. I have like, two left. YAY!!! I have a whole big long list of stories to write, so this is not the end.

Some of those include, if anyone is interested, are…

Tortall Universe:

Daine returns to Snowsdale to face her past.

During a big working, the barrier between Daine and her Wildmagic dissolves, and before Numair can fix it she finds herself in a life and death situation, and calls upon her friends for help. Loosing herself, can her friends save her, or will their Daine be lost to them forever?

Star Wars:

There is an illness spreading through the Force, killing most of the Jedi that come down with it. Can a certain Jedi save them? A ticking clock is added to the scenario when his beloved is diagnosed…

Pirates of the Caribbean 3 One shot:

SPOILERS!

How does Elizabeth feel as she realizes she has lost everything; her father, Commodore James Norrington, and even her newly wed husband.

X-men Evolution One shot:

Kitty and Rogue get to talking, shortly after Rogue has moved to the Xavier institute. When she reveals that her most treasured possession is still at the Brotherhood Mansion, Kitty enlists Kurt's help to get it back.

Tru Calling/SVU Crossover:

When the body of Detective Olivia Benson asks for help, Tru has difficulty in convincing the cop that she is in danger. Tru must stop a murderer from getting his revenge on the cop who put him away, while staying out of prison herself.

Tru Calling:

Jack decides it's time to stop Tru's interfering once and for all.

And many many more…


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